Sharing Memories

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2006-12-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, early Happy New Years! :)

i wish all of you and your families the best CHRISTmas this year! i know it has already been stated in church about the REAL meaning of christmas, so i wont restate that. but just have a wonderful, safe holiday! spend time with those you love and care for :) and buy me a present if you want... jk! haha

much love!
Melissa

NAPAD News!

2006-12-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

i thought i should share this wonderful news with you all! :) please read and pray for!

"Dear NAPAD Friends,

I want to share news with you. Last Saturday (12/2) there was the Korean Disciples Convocation in the PSWR at DSF. Myungsun Grace Kang (my "better-half") was elected as the president with absolute majority. She seems to be the first female president of Korean Convocation at the regional level.

Of course, they have had hot debates about [im]possibilities of female leadership in the present situation. After long debates, they could calmly elect the new president. Also, the Convocation nominated other two female pastors to the positions of leadership and approved them unanimously: Pauline Choi as vice-president and Youngsook Kim as secretary. Then, Allen Kim (ex-president) was nominated as treasurer (He was chosen as the "helper" for them).

Finally, they suggested a new structure for the Korean Committee on Ministry in the PSWR. According to them, KCoM will consist of the same members both male and female, including ministers in local churches, academic societies, and LAYMEN.

I believe that God helps Korean Disciples in the PSWR to have patience and love and to serve each other with all their hearts. Please pray together for the new leadership of Korean Convocation in the PSWR.

Sincerely,

John Chun

Staff for Asian Ministries of the PSWR
Co-pastor of Sallims Christian Church at Newport Beach"

also yesterday i returned from a special weekend meeting to Indianapolis with a fellow GYC [general youth council] member for planning for the youth-led worship for General Assembley. PLEASE pray for us! we want the worship and the whole assembly to be the best it can be! and honestly, even though its all for God, i want it to be good so you guys can learn and enjoy it too! [we got a lot done though! and it looks good so far :P] i am the last NAPAD youth on GYC, and my term is ending soon. GYC REALLY needs diversity, and i REFUSE to let NAPAD not have influence on it. if any of you are interested please please please LET ME KNOW A.S.A.P. if you dont know [which you should] how to contact me, then just leave a comment on here and i will get back to you.

love you all!
-melissatran

SNOW!!!!!

2006-11-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

OMG im so happy~!!!!

WE dont have to go to school today and theres snow everywhere :)

i love this thanksgiving break

o yeh~

Thanksgiving !!

2006-11-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

hey my loves! i dont know if anyone from NAPAD actually reads any of these... buttttttt, since it's my duty, i will continue on in here anyways! just in case :)

Thanksgiving is coming up, and we all know what that means.

- break from school! :) ... sleeping in... partying... etc.
- prelude to finals :(
- cold weather! :)
- FOOD :)
- xmas shopping :)

BUT most importantly, we need to thank God/Jesus/HolySpirit for EVERYTHING, good and bad. everything else on that list up there [aside from "prelude to finals"] can distract us from what really matters, so try to remember to take a little time out and REALLY thank God.

im not done yet. thank your family, loved ones, and leaders as well for everything that theyve done for you. it really is more than you know/think!

im running on a tight schedule, so ill leave it at this!

xo <3 love,
Melissa

been a while, opps

2006-11-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

hey babies :) i'm sorry i havent updated in a while, life has been busy! [i just got my first college application mailed out on nov. 1!! pray for itttt!] but i hope all is well with you!

it's just now starting to get "cold" here in TX [when i say cold, i mean <70°F, haha] and i looovvveeee it! since most of you arent from the dirty south, i assume its eskimo-like weather where you are, just be sure to bundle up and dont get sick!!

ONLY 2 MORE WEEKS UNTIL THANKSGIVING BREAK! wooo!! :))) i'm SO excited! is anyone going anywhere? the only tenative plans that i have are to go to New Orleans and visit then kidnapp my sister and bring her back here to Houston.. puahahaha

speaking of traveling, your wonderful NAPAD Executive Council will be having our Winter Meeting in January in LA, so pray for us! we need it! :)

that's all for now, if you ever need anything feel free to call me
<3
Melissa

update on life

2006-09-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

hey guys! :) its me [melissa] AGAIN! a quick update on my busy, busy life...

last week was Spirit Week for me! it was so much fun! we had jersey day, twin day, college day, prep/nerd day, and gold/black day [our school colors]! woo! i dressed up of course :))) apparently, in tx they have a homecoming tradition, that on the day of the game the girls and guys wear "mums", so my friend helped me make one! it was really big and pretty! [if you want to see a pic, view my myspace!] theyre usually REALLY expensive to buy! ... and im unemployed... sooooooooo, making it was the only way! hahaha, theyre so pretty, but so heavy too! the guys have a version of it too called a "Garter" and they wear it on their arms. are there other Homecoming traditions for different states that i dont know about? do tell!

welllllllll... i also went to my VERY FIRST football game ever! we won! woot! 29-3! hahaha, it was kind of sweaty and crowded though... ehhhhh... but still, much fun!

since i go to a "ghetto" school, we were going to have our HC in our cafeteria, and Stu Co. and NAHS were decorating! [thats me!] it took us from 8am-4pm WOWOWOWOW. but it looked PRETTY afterward! :) beware before you guys sign up for those clubs! seriously, they may look good on your college apps [haha, thats mostly why i signed up], but theyre A LOT OF WORK!

while im talking about it... i need y'alls prayer for my college apps/recommendations/scholarships etc :) love youuuu!

but the HC dance was SO fun! :D i wish you guys could be there so i could booty dance with you! hahaha! okay, i wont go into any further detail, since Esther told me i had to keep this PG :D i burned 28932049682049683 calories, sweated mucho [grossssss i know!], and my thighs were sore from dancing the next day. ahhhhhh, wheres ice when you need it?

i got my hair cut yesterday!!! AHHHHHH!!! FIVE inches off!!! WOAH I KNOW! does it look good?!?!? opinions?? in those pics its after the hairdresser made it pretty... so i cant tell if itll look like that normally? lol

i'll end things here, MWAHS my babies!

<3
Melissa

NAPAD Ministry Week & Kagiwada Sunday

2006-09-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

hello my little pumpkins! :) time sure does go by quickly when you're busy! its hard to believe that its been around a MONTH since ive seen y'all!

YA moderator Esther thought it would be good for me to inform you all that yesterday [9/10] was Kagiwada Sunday. dont know what that is? shame on you!

here's a wonderful link that will assist you in learning some history:
http://www.disciplesworld.com/newsArticle.html?wsnID=9941

he was a co-founder of our beloved NAPAD, and impacted the lives of many many people through his ministry. we should all aspire to affect others in our daily lives through OUR ministry as well! so guys, please just take a few minutes to read that [if you didnt already or dont know what this is all about] and reflect on things that have impacted our life, and ways that you can do that for others.

that's what NAPAD Ministry Week [9/11 - 9/16] is about too! making an impact on others [through God of course!]. PRAY for NAPAD and all of its churches, and their leaders! there is no such thing as too much prayer :D

for the NAPAD Ministry week, here are some suggestions that were sent to me [for you and your family or community]

MONDAY 9/11
Spend time as a family talking about American-Asian history in the United States. What do you know about this history? What are your biggest questions? What would you like to learn more about?

Take some time to reflect on the scripture, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3. “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Creator your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” As you reflect, consider this passage in relation to the contributions of American – Asians in the history of the United States. Why do we honor and celebrate these contributions?

TUESDAY 9/12
With a group of friends/or as family, set aside some time to write a letter to someone who lives in Asia or in the Pacific Islands. What do you want to know about their lives? What similarities are there between the U.S. and places in Asia or the Pacific Islands? What more would you like to learn?

Share an Asian cultural dinner with family/or friends. Begin discussions around what you are eating and the thoughts or memories that the food brings.

WEDNESDAY 9/13
Choose a country in Asia or the Pacific Islands and reflect on its people and current status in the world. What can you pray for? What areas do these communities need support?

Take some time to reflect on the scripture, Romans 12:5. “So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” As you reflect, consider this passage in relation to cultural unity and reconciliation. How can we strive to be “one body in Christ?”

THURSDAY 9/14
Form a “Chain of Prayer” in your church community to pray for NAPAD ministries.

Use this day to celebrate the ministries of NAPAD in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Research more about NAPAD on the website at www.napad.net

Find out if there is a NAPAD church in your community. Contact a leader in that church and discuss possible activities the two congregations can share in the future. Discuss possible plans to help each other in congregational vitality, community service, and evangelism. What stories are there that you can share about your church? Ask about the history and stories of the NAPAD congregation.

FRIDAY 9/15
With a group of friends/or family, discuss the differences in Asian/and Pacific Island cultures compared to American culture. Discuss how we can use these differences to strengthen our community, congregation, and relationships. How do these differences relate to your church? If a guest visited your church and did not fit in, how would the congregation react? Discuss what it means to be an open, inclusive, and affirming congregation

SATURDAY 9/16
Remembering the gifts of this week, what changes can we make in our congregation, spiritual life, and actions to become a more open, inclusive, and affirming culture? This week, we focused on Asian/Pacific Island cultures. How can we incorporate these same changes to be “One body in Christ,” open, inclusive, and affirming to other differences we face?

Send your words of support to: Cindy Kim kimcinthia@hotmail.com and/or Dr. Yu gyu@dhm.disciples.org

BY THE WAY: if any of you want/need any information on NAPAD's History, scholarships, or the keynote sermons from this past convocation, these can be made available to you! just let us know and i'll try to get it to you ASAP

today is 9/11. five years since the WTCs fell. if you havent already, send a little prayer up for the families of those who passed. time doesnt make the hurt lessen any...

anyways, LOVE you guys!

XOXO
Melissa

p.s. - it would be appreciated if some youth would update this as well! or at least comment on the posted blogs
p.p.s. - did anyone get Esther's package yet?! i didnt :(

Im sooo bored

2006-08-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

i am only doing this because our "moderator" (melissa) told me to.

our school starts next week and im gonna play football because i am good at tackleing ( hard to beleive, huh) it was soo fun last year that i decided to play this year. i have very little going on in my life so i keep looking over and over what we did at NAPAD. im so glad that i got involved in it
^^.
i have nothing else i can talk about
hope to talk to u soon
barnabas

:) just making sure

2006-08-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

i just wanted to make sure that all of my fellow NAPADian youth got the link to the pictures that me and hana worked hard to post! we tried to let as many youth/YAs know... but, of course, there are always a few who dont get the message.

http://s86.photobucket.com/albums/k104/NAPAD2006/

so click away! :) in case you happen to be computer illiterate [which i know 99% of you arent since you have myspaces/AIM...] just click hana's name for her pictures, and my name for my pictures.

oh yeah, this is Melissa by the way :D ... your Queen! so obey me! puahahahaha. okay okay, i kid. i am your humble co-mod~

i noticed no one aside from esther posted anything on here, has anyone VIEWED this site?? if so, please just leave a comment so i know that people at least check up on it from time to time. a blog wont hurt? :) ill try not to neglect it either!! if you forgot the password than i suppose just email a fellow NAPADian, and we'll try to respond ASAP

did school finally start for everyone? homecoming is REALLY early for me this year! less than 3 weeks away!

anyways, much lovin'!
XO melissa XO

WELCOME!

2006-08-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll!!

How is everyone doing? I created this blog because I wanted a place where all of us could share our memories (photos, thoughts, etc.) together, and keep eachother updated on our lives. I was thinking about whether to create a Xanga or a Blogspot, but I created this blogspot because people who don't have xangas (like myself) can comment on our entries and you don't have to have an online photo sharing website to upload your pictures on a post. You can simply upload them from your computer (which is pretty cool). So I encourage everyone to post up your pictures on here and keep updating each other on what's going on with your lives ALRITEY?! :) I really miss everyone and I will be posting announcements and etc. on here! The password to this blog and the username will be sent to you through email. You can pass on that information to anyone else (use good judgment) that wants to post something on OUR blog. Good deal? Well i miss you all and I hope you will enjoy the mail that i will send this weekend full of everyone's contact info and pictures! :)

Post away!!

Missing ya'll,

Esther
YA moderator

preview of what you'll be getting in the mail :)